NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A White Castle location that has been operating for 86 years in Jackson Heights will permanently close its doors on Wednesday, according to a company spokesperson.
The hamburger chain, located at 88-08 Northern Boulevard, has several other locations throughout Queens in Sunnyside, Elmhurst, Bayside, Ozone Park, Jamaica and Queens Village with no plans to close any more local sites any time soon.
“We had to make a tough decision so we can be there for all 10,000 team members across the country,” Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle, told 1010 WINS. "We love Jackson Heights. It's been a great run."
Residents of Jackson Heights also told 1010 WINS that they were devastated to see the restaurant close, with some saying the building holds a lot of memories for them.
“I used to come here all the time – especially with friends as a teenager at night. We would always come to this place because it was open 24 hours,” said one loyal customer.
Others said they are heartbroken to see the loyal employees go.
“There was a woman that worked here for 50 years,” one frequent visitor said.
Employees at the Jackson Heights location have all been offered jobs at other White Castle sites.
Chairperson of Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District, John Vogt, used to work behind the grill at the closing White Castle location in 1970. Vogt eventually became a regional manager for White Castle before recently retiring.
Richardson declined to say what the future holds for the property, which is owned by White Castle.
The borough also used to be the location of White Castle’s regional headquarters. The company closed that headquarters in 2014 and the city later purchased the property to build a school.
White Castle, which was founded in 1921, still has 377 locations spread across 13 states. When the Jackson Heights location opened 86 years ago, sliders were just 5 cents.
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